Honor System

Honor System

The University of Virginia’s College at Wise adopted an Honor System in 1956 under which all students pledge to cooperate in acting honestly and honorably. The Honor System is administered by an Honor Court elected by the student body and composed of two representatives of each class. It is the job of the Honor Court to enforce the Honor System and to adjudicate violations.

The primary focus of the Honor System is to address instances of dishonorable conduct within the academic setting. Lying, cheating, and stealing relative to academic work are issues to which the Honor System applies.

A violation of the Honor System is an offense against the entire student body. Students who enforce the system are performing a solemn duty, protecting their individual liberties and the reputation of the student body. In return for acceptance and active guardianship of the Honor System, students enjoy faith in themselves and in one another and receive the confidence of the faculty and administration. The Honor System creates an atmosphere of personal integrity and freedom through individual and collective responsibility.

Violation of the Honor System can result in dismissal or imposition of an intermediate sanction. The College will automatically enforce any sanction imposed by the Honor Court on a student certified to be guilty of a breach of the Honor System.

Faculty who wish to file charges should email Theodore Winfield, Counsel for the Prosecution, at taw2m within 8 class days of the alleged incident.

Honor Pledge

Students at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise sign the following pledge to all work completed. This signifies understanding and agreement of the articles of the Constitution of the Honor System.

I, (name) , certify as a student at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise that I have neither received nor given aid on this ___(test, exam, etc.)___ .